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Mitsotakis: 'I have studied the mistakes of my predecessors'

Main opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday said he understands the mistakes past Greek prime ministers made in dealing with the country's economic crisis and vouched to push forward with reforms, if elected to the top post.

“I have studied the mistakes of my predecessors. For example, it took [former PM George] Papandreou six months to understand what was going on and even then he was giving out money,” he told attendees at the Delphi Economic Forum.

Mitsotakis said the current government has failed and overtaxed the middle class and reiterated his pledge to renegotiate lower primary surplus targets with the country's creditors in exchange for specific reforms.

“We found ourselves in this vicious circle because Mr Tsipras did not have the credibility to implement reforms. Now the conversation is opening and there's wider consensus. The only one who does not appear to be talking about the issue is the prime minister, who committed to these results,” he said.

“I want to be the prime minister who will lead the country out of the [economic] crisis."

Asked about the third acquittal of former head statistician Andreas Georgiou by the Council of Appeals of falsifying the 2009 budget data Mitsotakis said: “I hope the story is over now [after the latest decision]; it’s about time."